Davis Thompson wins maiden PGA Tour title at John Deere Classic

Thompson took a two-shot lead into the final round at TPC Deere Run and carded a closing 64 to finish 28 under par, beating the previous tournament record of 27 under set by Michael Kim in 2017.

The 25-year-old finished four shots ahead of CT Pan, Michael Thorbjornsen and amateur Luke Clanton, with Pan claiming the second Open qualifying berth by virtue of having the highest world ranking.

Thompson was never in danger of being caught after making five birdies in the first six holes and the former world number one amateur added another at the ninth to reach the turn in 29.

A bogey on the 12th briefly saw Thompson's lead cut to three shots as Thorbjornsen made six birdies in a row from the eighth, but Thompson birdied the 14th to effectively seal the win.

Thompson, who finished joint second in last week's Rocket Mortgage Classic, told CBS: "I just tried to stay present all day and when that putt finally went in it was just a big sigh of relief. It's great.

"I've been working hard this year. It was OK for a while and then I kind of got going this last month and played well last week. Just tried to keep it rolling this week and was able to get the win.

"Qualifying for the Open was just an added incentive into this. The goal was to win the golf tournament after getting off to a great start and I was able to finish it off."

In a remarkable coincidence, the winner of the tournament has stayed in the same rental house for three years running, with Thompson following in the footsteps of JT Poston in 2022 and last year's winner Sepp Straka.

He even stayed in the same room as Straka, who was in a different house with his family this week, and tradition dictates that he now has to pay the entire cost for the house.

"I'll gladly write the check for that," Thompson added.

Thorbjornsen and Clanton both carded final rounds of 63, with Clanton becoming the first amateur to finish in the top 10 in back-to-back starts on the PGA Tour since 1958.

England's Aaron Rai, who started the day two shots behind Thompson, finished in a tie for seventh on 21 under after a final round of 69.

Compatriot Harry Hall was another stroke back in a tie for 12th following a closing 65 which included eight birdies and a double bogey, with Ireland's Seamus Power returning a bogey-free 65 to finish 17th.